They went upstairs, and Jenny treated Maria’s thumb. Her daughter trembled uncontrollably. “It’s not that bad, child,” Jenny said.

Maria sobbed.

“What’s wrong?” Jenny asked. The towel had stanched the bleeding, and the injury didn’t warrant the girl’s tears.

“Will kissed me,” Maria mumbled.

“Pardon?” Jenny didn’t think she’d understood correctly.

“Last night. While we washed dishes. In the kitchen.”

“He kissed you?” The children had always been affectionate, and Jenny had seen Will buss his sisters on the cheek many times. “What’s the fuss?”

“On the lips, Mama,” Maria whispered. “Like Pa kisses you.”

Stunned, Jenny spent a moment to attach the plaster. Then she asked in as nonchalant a tone as she could muster, “How did you feel about it?”

“I don’t know,” Maria wailed. “I think I liked it. Does that make me bad?”

“No, no.” Jenny put an arm around her daughter. “It’s not bad to like a boy kissing you.” The possibility of William and Maria forming an attachment beyond brother and sister had never occurred to Jenny. In her mind, they were brother and sister. How should she handle this situation?

Jenny took a deep breath. “You mustn’t be forward with a boy. Any boy. Even William. And you’re way too young for any romantic notions with any young man.”

“But you were my age when you—”

“I didn’t have a choice, dear,” Jenny said. “In any event, I was too young for a romantic attachment. I was still too young the next year when Mac left for California. I grew up a lot before he came back. I was eighteen then.”

“I wasn’t forward, Mama, I swear.”

Jenny ran her hand over Maria’s dark hair. “I’m sure you weren’t, dear. I’ll have a word with William.”

“I don’t want to get Will in trouble.”

“He’s not in trouble.” Jenny sighed. “But I will talk to him nonetheless.”

Jenny fretted all day about how to approach William. How did a mother talk to her son about whether it was appropriate to kiss a girl? A girl who was his sister . . . but wasn’t. There was nothing wrong with the two young people becoming sweet on each other, though it could cause great awkwardness in the family.

When Mac arrived home from his office, Jenny followed him to their room. “We need to talk,” she said.

He turned to her. “Are you all right? Any more cramping?”

She shook her head. “That’s not it.” She swallowed hard, then said, “William kissed Maria last night.”

“He did what?” Mac bellowed. “Damn that boy.” Apparently, Mac understood immediately what William had done, unlike Jenny’s confusion that morning.

“Mac,” Jenny admonished.

“How did you find out?” Mac threw his cravat on the bed and his cuff links followed.

“Maria told me.”

“Did he hurt her?”

“Mac, it was a kiss,” Jenny said. “No more. She’s confused, but she’s fine.”

“Damn him,” Mac grumbled again.

“I don’t know what to say to him,” Jenny said.

“I’ll talk to him,” Mac stated, his mouth set in a thin line. “And to Maria.”

Mac stormed down the hall to Will’s room and threw open the door. Will lay on his bed with a book in hand. The boy dropped the book and shot to his feet. “Sir?”

Mac slammed the door behind him. This conversation needed to stay between the two of them. He didn’t want the entire house in an uproar.

“Jenny says you kissed Maria.”

Will blushed a deep red and stared at the floor.

“Why in the hell did you do such a thing?” Mac wanted to hit something. Not the boy, but something.

“She looked pretty,” Will muttered. “She’d done me a favor. I don’t know. I just wanted to.” By the end of his little speech, Will glared at Mac with his chin thrust out, like Jenny did when she was mad.

“She’s your sister,” Mac hissed.

“No, she’s not,” Will shot back. “She’s not your daughter, I’m not your son, and she’s not my sister.”

Mac stood dumbfounded. He couldn’t deny the boy’s statements. He managed to choke out, “In this household, she is your sister. In this household, you are my son. In this household, you will not behave so rashly again. Do you understand me, Will?”

Will’s jaw clenched. He looked mutinous. But finally, he nodded.

Will plodded downstairs for supper but barely picked at his food. Every time he glanced at Mac, his stomach churned. And looking at Mama wasn’t much better. They hated him. All because he’d kissed a pretty girl.

Maria wasn’t his sister. Why shouldn’t he kiss her? Other girls wanted him to kiss them. Cordelia Abercrombie had caught him under the mistletoe last Christmas and pecked him on the lips. Meg Bingham stared at him whenever they were together. He’d danced with her once, and she’d blushed the whole time.

Maria was nicer than either Cordelia or Meg. Why shouldn’t he kiss her?

Will looked over at Maria. Her cheeks turned pink when he caught her eye, then she smiled softly. He’d like to kiss her again, he realized. And take more time at it. Would he ever get to try again? Not if Mac had a say in it.

Will hid in his room after supper. How was he going to live in this house until he left for Harvard in the fall? If that’s what he did.